While the internet of late may have gone Bronco crazy, there’s also some other tantalizing news you may want to know about: Nissan are finally refreshing its old Frontier pickup!
Are you not excited? Well, you should be; it’s the first time the Japanese carmaker have properly overhauled its mid-size truck since the inception of the current D40 series back in 2004.
Read: Toyota’s Next Generation Full-Size Tundra Is Coming For The F-150
Fortunately for us, spy shots and Nissan’s recent future product teaser give quite a bit away in terms of the new look; however, what other goodies can we expect for 2021? Let’s illustratively investigate further.
Titan Toughness
Illustrations Copyright Carscoops.com / Josh Byrnes
Nissan has pushed the envelope for this next-generation truck with styling that’s muscular and unashamedly Titan-like in appearance. The bold front end is aggressively imposing with its massive grille, staunch fenders, chiselled hood and rectangular headlamps featuring twin-pronged DRLs.
The visual drama does diminish when viewing it from the side – which is not a bad thing, as it’s a truck after all. The cabin is predictably upright with a window line that cascades down like the Ford F-150’s, and the bed appears similar in size compared to its closest competitors. Flared rear haunches do give it a stable stance, and the rear features a power sliding back window, LED taillights and a shark-fin antenna.
A Better Place To Be
Sitting in the current Frontier is like a time-warp back to when interior design was almost an afterthought. Fortunately, the new one will have class-leading levels of refinement and occupant space, with an emphasis on connectivity and convenience features.
The 2022 Nissan Frontier has already been spied testing in the States
If one of the latest Nissan models to enter the market, the 2021 Rogue, is anything to go by, we can expect goodies like an optional digital instrument cluster, a 9” touch-screen infotainment display, heads-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay and ambient lighting.
Nissan’s ProPilot 2.0 suite of driver assist systems will take the stress out of the job-site commute with a nav-based lane-keeping aid, speed limit sign detection, AEB with pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert and high beam assist.
Under The Skin
According to sources, it won’t be a total redesign as we know it, and nor will it be based on the global Navara mid-sized truck, as some aspects of the current Frontier are tipped to carry over. Instead, it will ride on a revised version of the current U.S. and Canadian market model’s older F-Alpha platform.
Speaking to Autonews last year, AutoPacific analyst Ed Kim explained the reasoning behind Nissan’s decision to keep with the current setup: “Navara is a smaller truck than Frontier. It makes more sense for Nissan to re-engineer the existing Frontier platform than spend significant money and resources to up-size the Navara platform and develop a new North American truck from it.”
Hiding under the new sheetmetal is a revised version of the current Frontier’s F-Alpha platform
It’s also a matter of adhering to regulations. “The decision to put a product into a market requires a significant investment,” Billy Hayes, Nissan North America division vice president of regional operations, told the news site. “It’s not that easy just to bring a product from another market into the U.S.”
Fortunately, Nissan is injecting some substantial effort into improving on-road refinement, off-road agility, crashworthiness and fuel economy via targeted weight reduction.
Don’t expect much in the way of powertrain surprises. Nissan introduced its new 3.8-litre, 310-horsepower V6 as an update to the current truck back in February, and it will be the main engine in the new one too. With 93 percent new parts, it generates 281 lb-ft of torque and offers a 49 hp increase in power over the old 4.0-litre V6.
Nissan’s new U.S.-made 3.8L V6 produces 310 hp and 281 lb-ft
It’s paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission (no manuals, sorry), putting power to the pavement via the rear-wheels as standard, or to all-four with an electronically controlled transfer case and selectable multi-terrain modes.
There’s no word on electrification just yet, however it would be safe to assume a variant to battle Ford’s upcoming Ranger PHEV is in the works.
Rivals and Reveal
Nissan gave us a sneak peek of the next Frontier last month
The new Frontier will likely debut early next year as a MY2022 offering, with production in king-cab and crew-cab configurations likely to continue at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi plant.
Also Read: 2022 Ram Dakota – Everything We Think We Know About FCA’s Midsize Truck Revival
It’ll go up against Ford’s hot-selling Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, Jeep Gladiator, Honda Ridgeline, Hyundai’s upcoming Santa Cruz, and RAM’s reborn Dakota.
Do you think the all-new Frontier has a chance against its truck rivals? Share your views in the comments below.
Note: The illustration was made by CarScoops’ artist Josh Byrnes and is in no way related or endorsed by Nissan
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